Fang Yuan and Ruan Tianhe were flying towards the direction of Baiyu City. However, before they could get too close, they felt an invisible force affecting them, restricting their flying ability. It was clear that there was some sort of anti-flight formation set up in the city.
However, this formation had little effect on Fang Yuan, as it was practically useless to him. Ruan Tianhe used his internal energy to resist, and flying was not difficult at all.
Fang Yuan looked around and noticed that there were indeed no other cultivators flying in the air. After a little thought, he said, "Let's go down."
As a well-mannered and respectful young man, he felt it was appropriate to follow local customs.
"Yes." Ruan Tianhe replied.
The two then retracted their aura and walked towards the majestic city gates. Besides the obvious anti-flight formation, Fang Yuan could also sense layers of defensive formations enveloping the entire city.
One of these formations was designed to detect demonic energy. If a demon tried to infiltrate the city, the formation would immediately give an alert.
After acquiring the "Nine Palace Star Pivot Array Diagram," Fang Yuan's expertise in formations had already surpassed that of Ning Wucheng.
At this moment, his eyes gleamed with sharpness, and the secrets of these formations were exposed to him. It was clear that Baiyu City's defense system was quite impressive.
...
The bustling scene in Baiyu City far exceeded what the two had imagined.
The streets, like highways, were crowded with people, with shops lining both sides, and beautifully decorated buildings that reached into the clouds. Luxurious carriages occasionally passed by, pulled by spirit beasts with wings.
Fang Yuan carefully observed the residents of the city and found that nearly all of them were martial artists, while ordinary people had become the minority.
What surprised him even more was that even these ordinary people possessed different types of Dao bodies. Some had one, while others had several.
"It seems that the people of this world are indeed born with Dao bodies..." Fang Yuan nodded slightly. "Truly a blessed place."
Ruan Tianhe gazed at the endless street markets and sighed, "Baiyu City is truly vast. If we wanted to visit every corner, I'm afraid several years wouldn't be enough. Your Majesty, what should we do next?"
"Let's find a restaurant and have a meal." Fang Yuan answered without hesitation.
To gather information, teahouses and taverns were the best places. In his second life, besides doing good deeds, tasting delicious food was his second life goal.
After speaking with some passersby, the two decided to go to the city's top-rated restaurant, "Tianxiang Pavilion," which was known for its excellent cuisine and often frequented by the city's elite.
Tianxiang Pavilion was located in the busiest part of Baiyu City, and its eight-story pagoda-like building, completely painted in vermilion, gleamed brightly in the sunlight.
When they arrived at the entrance, two young attendants, lazily leaning against the doorposts, saw that Fang Yuan and Ruan Tianhe looked unfamiliar and were not wearing the attire of the Sun Moon Sect or Sword Treasure Pavilion. They casually greeted them with, "Please come in," without even straightening their backs.
Fang Yuan wasn't angry. He walked into the pavilion calmly, and as soon as they entered, the loud noise in the hall caused Ruan Tianhe to pause in surprise.
The hall, about a hundred feet wide, was filled with hundreds of small sandalwood tables, almost all of which were occupied. Cultivators were raising their cups and chatting, making it a very lively scene. It was no wonder the attendants outside were so indifferent.
Fang Yuan led Ruan Tianhe to a vacant table in the corner.
A waiter dressed in a green robe swiftly approached. Fang Yuan casually tossed a gold ingot onto the table, saying, "Bring us your signature dishes."
Gold ingots were considered hard currency, whether in the upper or lower realms.
The waiter's eyes brightened, and he bowed repeatedly before retreating.
While waiting for the food, Fang Yuan listened carefully to the discussions around him. Several cultivators at the neighboring table were excitedly talking:
"Brother Li, are you going to join the siege of the Hundred Poison Cave this time?"
"Of course! Those demons are extremely rampant. They even dared to kill the heirs of the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion. Now they're threatening to wipe out all the cultivators of the Northern Region!"
"Exactly! It's time for us to contribute to the Northern Region..." The speaker lowered his voice, "And I heard that if we make meritorious contributions, the rewards from the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion will be extremely generous..."
Fang Yuan quietly listened, slowly realizing something was wrong. He should be involved in this somehow...
After all, he remembered that he had killed those so-called heirs, and he had even video-called the lady from the Sun Moon Sect. How did it end up being demons who killed them...?
Could it be that the demon is me?
What troubled him even more was this so-called "siege of the Hundred Poison Cave." What was that about?
With these thoughts, Fang Yuan casually stopped a passing cultivator, a tall young man named Lin Qingyu.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask what the crowd is discussing?" Fang Yuan asked politely.
Lin Qingyu was surprised, "You don't know about such a big event?"
Fang Yuan smiled slightly and made a gesture inviting him to sit. "Please, tell me more. Seeing that you're alone, why not sit down and talk? This meal is on me."
"This... I shouldn't trouble you..." Lin Qingyu hesitated, but then sat down. "Well, the story isn't too complicated..."
Fang Yuan quickly learned the details from Lin Qingyu:
The Hundred Poison Cave had set an ambush in the Celestial Realm Cave, and the Demon Lord of Poison killed two disciples of the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion.
Later, the Sun Moon Sect's Sect Master encountered another Demon Lord from the Hundred Poison Cave, who, claiming the Sun Moon Sect had killed the Demon Lord of Poison, threatened to wipe out the Sun Moon Sect.
In response to this provocation, the Sun Moon Sect's Sect Master immediately decided to strike first and was gathering cultivators from the Northern Region to annihilate the Hundred Poison Cave.
Fang Yuan realized that, indeed, this had nothing to do with him.
The situation had changed unexpectedly. Originally, he had planned to lure the demons to the Sun Moon Sect, capture them both, but who would have thought the Sun Moon Sect would choose to act first?
"It seems the plan needs adjustment." Fang Yuan mused and then asked Lin Qingyu, "I am new to the Northern Region and am not very familiar with the place."
"I've heard that the Northern Region is led by the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion. With their strength, do you think they can defeat the Hundred Poison Cave?"
"Isn't that obvious!" Lin Qingyu answered confidently. "Sword Treasure Pavilion has three Celestial Realm experts, and the Sun Moon Sect has five! Their Sect Master recently broke through to the peak of the Celestial Realm!"
At this point, Lin Qingyu couldn't hide his excitement, "With such a lineup, tell me, how can they lose?"
This information wasn't classified; it was widely known that both sects were actively publicizing their strength to demonstrate their power, and nearly all cultivators in the Northern Region knew about it.
Fang Yuan nodded slightly. This lineup was indeed powerful. Even he, if he rashly attacked, might not gain much.
He quickly came up with two options:
The first option was to follow the Northern Region army to attack the Hundred Poison Cave and watch from the sidelines, hoping to profit from a conflict between the two sides.
The second option was to take advantage of the two main factions' departure and infiltrate the Sun Moon Sect and Sword Treasure Pavilion, seize the required Divine Tools, and strengthen himself.
Both options were extremely tempting...
After a little thought, Fang Yuan made his decision, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. Only children make choices; adults take it all!